Abstract
Verb raising and subject inversion have long been topics of theoretical linguistic interest in Romance and Germanic languages, amongst others. Bantu languages also exhibit verb raising and subject inversion, though there has been no comprehensive investigation of these phenomena, nor an explanation of crosslinguistic differences. This paper provides a unified account of verb raising and subject inversion in Bantu languages. It shows that subject inversion in Bantu matrix clauses resembles that found in Romance languages. In contrast, however, verb raising to C (similar to V2 in German matrix clauses) occurs only in embedded relative clauses, and only in some Bantu languages. A natural explanation for these phenomena comes from the fact that verb raising interacts with the prosodic status of the relative complementizer, and that Bantu matrix clauses are IPs not CPs. The paper points to the importance of competing interactions between different aspects of the grammar (e.g. prosodic words, syntax) and provides support for the notion of extended projections (Grimshaw 1993, 1997).
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.